35 years ago I was unloading the rear of a 727 in Houston. Got furloughed again, and that's where the job was when the music stopped. I turned around and a flight attendant was standing behind me. She asked for my help in recovering her pearls. I asked her where they were, and she said she was in one of the aft lavs, and they somehow fell into the john.
We had 2 aft lavs on a 727, they each have their own holding tank. So I asked her which one she was in, R or L?. She told me R. I told her that I would have to dump the contents on the ramp, not into the truck. Nowadays, a lav spill on the ramp is a haz mat call, for clean up. 35 years ago it was an inconvenience! So I got the lav truck, and dumped the R lav onto the ramp, AND, no pearls! I looked at her and said, "you did say the R lav, correct? And she said, "do you mean if I'm facing forward or rear???.
So I dumped the L lav, and there were the pearls. She then asked me what do I do now? I politely told her that my job was done. So she went up the rear airstairs, and came back with a set of ice tongs. She tip toe'd through the lav waste, and got the pearls with the ice tongs. I don't remember if she thanked me, but often wondered if: she ever wore the pearls again, and also if she ever used the ice tongs again?